An Unlikely Teacher of Definitive Purpose
The most beautiful paisley butterfly took flight right in front of my eyes the other day, and I stood spellbound by its simple acceptance of warm sunshine and gentle breezes. I watched it effortlessly gain height and glide, totally immersed in fulfilling the purpose for which it was born. It seemed so easy that I was struck by it and couldn’t help wondering how, with such a tiny little brain, he managed to find his perfect path and lend such meaning to the world around him.
Then suddenly, I realized. My dear little friend (and all his kind) wasn’t successful or unsuccessful because of the size of his brain. He was simply using more of the faculties that he did possess. So regardless of how diminished his capabilities were from mine, he pursued and achieved excellence because of his single-minded focus on his essential purpose: to live, undergo an incredible transformation, fly, be beautiful and reproduce that honest essence for the rest of the world.
We as humans so often have the very best of intentions. But we allow ourselves to become distracted by flashy, pointless, Mardi-gras type attractions with hidden clauses that only serve to deplete our resources and leave behind a used feeling and nagging emptiness. I don’t mean to say that we shouldn’t have fun, but with regards to the path we habitually pursue, we must learn to recognize the difference between colorful vanity and true, worthy investments. And we must certainly be willing to pour as much effort into them as we have into our past train wrecks of poor judgment.
Whatever path we choose to travel, we must reach long and commit to it with instinct, focus and both guns blazing, whether it’s dancing, adding numbers, cutting grass, writing or even flying. Because the things that I saw missing from my past efforts that fairly oozed from the butterfly’s accomplishments were authenticity and an innocent unwillingness to compromise the way he had to live. He saw me, undoubtedly, and even seemed to tip a gossamer wing as if to say hello, but he didn’t become deterred by my presence. Instead, he moved on.
And that is one of the greatest lessons we can learn: knowing when to engage and when not to engage. Knowing how to retain your focus in the midst of rampant dissatisfaction of others who are unwilling to take responsibility for their lives. But the simple butterfly, with his humble brainpower, wasn’t rendered ineffective by the debris blowing into the yard from the neighbor’s overflowing trash pile or the staccato barking of the forgotten dog next door. Even my own admiration and affirmation of his abilities didn’t deter him from his highest aim: living life fully in that place at that precious moment.
And that’s how we must live, giving 100% of whatever is in our power, keeping our eyes and energy on our goals and not using the inaction and disenfranchisement of others as a permissive crutch for our own lazy inclinations. If we all lived in such a way, we, too, could soar in shimmering sunlight, inspiring and motivating others by our fearless example of realized purpose.
